The Hustlers

Author: TC

  • Hustlers in a bit of a pickle

    For their last game of the year (and the decade), the Hustlers returned to the Double Barrel to take on the Celery Boys with 5 changes in the team.  Could they give Cap’n Clive an early Christmas present?

    Setting, AU began in good form, his spare helping him to top score.  Jimbo made an impression on his debut, snatching Barry the Brasilian out of Rob’s loving grasp.  So 1st leg handed over 15 pins down.  2nd leg put nin the performance of the night to pull back 5 pins, with Rich getting his second consecutive 40.

    3rd leg struggled, but only lost a further 2 pins as they handed the anchor a 12 pin deficit to make up.  An up-and-down leg ensued, with nobody shining in a very consistent set of totals, dropping 11 pins in the process, handing the Celery Boys an early Christmas present.

    Stu now leaves us to carry out his annual spell of missionary work in the colonies and has probably played his last game of the season.  Next time we’re away AGAIN – Tuesday 5 Jan 2010 at the robins Club.

    15/12/09  v Celery Boys @ Double Barrel

    AU 6 7 13 7 8 5 46
    Jimbob 3 0 5 7 6 6 27
    Pete 7 5 6 7 5 8 38

    1st leg total 111 v 126

    Mart 7 6 6 7 6 7 39
    Rich 6 7 6 6 8 7 40
    Steve 7 6 4 6 6 4 33

    2nd leg total 112 v 117

    Mark 7 6 7 6 5 5 36

    Jim

    		 7 2 3 4 6 7 29
    Stu 6 3 5 7 6 6 33

    3rd leg total 98 v 100

    Clive 4 6 6 9 6 4 35
    Rob 3 8 4 5 6 8 34
    Neil 4 7 6 6 4 6 33

    4th leg total 102v 113

    Grand total 423 v 446

    WIN by -23

  • Hustlers shoot it out

    Playing back at the Suffolk, how would the Hustlers cope without the services of Cap’n Clive (dropped) and the poorly Lofty?  Would it be the start of a very Happy Christmas?

    The first surprise of the night came when our skipper put us in to set.  First leg put in a very credible performance, with Mark continuing his good form with another 40, handing over 4 pins ahead.  2nd leg then put in the highest scoring performance of the night, with Steve’s 47 (our highest of the night) and Jim’s exceptional 39 helping extend the lead by a further 5 pins.

    Then came the 3rd leg.  And what a shock that turned out to be.  By far the lowest scoring leg of the whole night, all 3 will fail to trouble the scorecard next week and dropped a total of 29 pins in the leg to leave the anchors needing to win by 20 just to draw the game.  A brave attempt followed, with Neil getting our only spare of the night ably backed up by a re-emergent Rob.  But it all proved in vain as the Elite’s anchor held on to scrape a win by a single pin.

    We end 2009 against the Celery Boys at the Double Barrel next Tuesday – Mike Vonk has threatened to turn up and cheer us on!

    7/12/09  v Cannonballs Elite @ Suffolk

    AU 4 7 5 7 8 5 36
    Mark 8 9 3 8 8 7 43
    Pete 5 3 7 7 7 9 38

    1st leg total 117 v 113

    Gary 8 8 3 6 5 6 36
    Jim 6 4 7 5 8 9 39
    Steve 9 7 8 8 7 8 47

    2nd leg total 122 v 117

    TC 5 7 4 4 5 3 28

    Lewis

    		 7 5 5 6 6 5 34
    AS 4 6 5 8 3 5 31

    3rd leg total 93 v 122

    Neil 6 7 8 4 12 8 45
    Rob 8 8 5 9 8 5 43
    JT 6 6 5 6 6 3 33

    4th leg total 121 v 102

    Grand total 453 v 454

    WIN by -1

     

  • Hustlers go Batty

    Hustlers went on the road yet again to face the Batmen at Prestbury’s Royal Oak, looking to extend their winning streak.  Would they do it?  Would Andy S be able to tell real ale from real cider?

    We’re now getting used to following, so tonight was nothing new for us as the Batmen set the pace in a nip and tuck first leg that saw AU narrowly miss his 40, while Mark & Lofty (with a spare) notched up their highest scores of the season as they ended the leg 3 pins up.  With the arrival of 2nd leg it was time to "bring on the Walls" as they put in a steady performance to stretch that lead out by a further 7 pins.

    With it all looking promising, it was the turn of 3rd leg.  With Clive getting his lowest score of the season (condemning himself to the bench next week) they weren’t quite able to match the Batmen and ended up dropping 5 pins to leave it all down to the anchors.   Managing to accumulate a couple of 40’s wasn’t enough, as the Batmen began to claw back more pins to take the game by a mere 4 pins.

    We return to the Suffolk next Monday to take on the Cannonballs Elite in our last home game before Christmas.

    30/11/09  v Batmen @ Royal Oak

    AU 8 6 8 5 5 7 39
    Mark 6 5 5 7 7 9 39
    Mart 8 6 7 11 2 9 43

    1st leg total 121 v 118

    TC 5 5 8 6 5 5 32
    Gary 6 7 7 6 6 6 38
    Steve 7 7 7 1 4 7 33

    2nd leg total 105 v 98

    Clive 5 5 3 6 6 7 32

    Pete

    		 7 4 6 7 8 1 33
    AS 8 6 7 8 7 2 38

    3rd leg total 103 v 108

    Neil 3 5 7 7 6 5 33
    Rob 7 6 3 9 7 8 40
    JT 7 5 7 7 6 8 40

    4th leg total 113 v 122

    Grand total 442 v 446

    WIN by -4

  • The Mark of a Hustler

    Back at the Suffolk, the Hustlers had high hopes of continuing their winning streak against new opponents, St Marks Club.  Could it really happen?

    Clive won the toss and, unusually, put St Marks in to lead off.  With Lewis putting in a rare below-par performance, we got off to an unpromising start, ending the leg all square.  2nd leg couldn’t improve on this, despite Steve’s 40, handing over the reins 12 pins down.

    Then it was the turn of 3rd leg.  Cap’n Clive led by example with his 42, but Andy topped that with his last 2 hands of 14 & 9 helping him to our highest score of the season and giving anchor a 3 pin lead.  But there was still more to come.  Not to be outdone by Andy, Neil & JT combined to score a massive 36 on the 2nd hand (gaining 25 pins in the process).  Keeping on in that aggressive vein, Neil then went on to set another season’s highest score, while Rob looked to be regaining some form of his own with a 2nd successive, as they stretched the lead out to a 34-pin victory and our highest total of the season (beating that set last week).

    Back on the road next Monday – v Batmen at the Royal Oak, Prestbury.

    23/11/09  v St Marks Club @ Suffolk

    AU 7 8 8 4 7 1 35
    Jim 7 3 4 6 5 8 33
    Lewis 7 6 1 5 5 6 30

    1st leg total 98 v 98

    Steve 6 5 7 7 8 7 40
    Gary 4 4 9 4 6 6 33
    Mart 6 8 7 3 5 4 33

    2nd leg total 106 v 118

    Clive 7 7 9 7 5 7 42

    AS

    		 8 8 7 5 14 9 51
    Stu 6 4 4 5 4 7 30

    3rd leg total123 v 108

    Neil 7 17 9 6 7 9 55
    Rob 6 7 6 8 8 9 44
    JT 6 12 6 5 7 3 39

    4th leg total 138 v 107

    Grand total 465 v 431

    WIN by 34

  • A Buff night for the Hustlers

    Lowly Hustlers faced top of the table Duke of York away at RAOB.  Could a new moon rising and the Leonids showering really be good omens, or harbingers of doom?

     
    Yet again following, we got off to a great start, with 40s from AU & Wallsy establishing a stunning 24 pin lead.  2nd leg held their own as Lewis stopped us losing more than 3 more pins, before handing the baton to 3rd leg.  A steady performance saw the leg tied, leaving the anchors with a 21 pin lead to defend.

    They did their best to drop early pins, but held on to go into the final hand needing just 3 pins to win the game.  Clive protected his 40 average, while Rob managed to grab his maiden 40 of the season as they dropped 3 pins to give us an 18 pin victory over the league leaders, despite conceding 2 spares during the game.

    Back to the Suffolk next week as we seek to extend our winning streak.  Don’t forget the Tony Clay Memorial Shield front pin contest at CACSSA (17 December) – http://www.cacssa.co.uk/skittles/tcs_2009.shtml – closing date for entries is 30 November.

    18/11/09  v Duke of York @ RAOB

    AU 8 6 5 7 7 8 41
    Steve 7 8 8 6 9 7 45
    Mart 4 7 8 5 7 6 37

    1st leg total 123 v 99

    TC 5 7 5 4 7 7 36
    Pete 4 3 8 3 7 7 32
    Lewis 7 5 5 7 9 6 41

    2nd leg total 108 v 111

    AS 6 7 6 6 3 8 36

    Mark

    		 3 8 7 7 6 5 36
    Neil 7 5 7 8 8 6 38

    3rd leg total 110 v 110

    Clive 6 8 7 7 5 8 41
    Rob 9 6 6 7 9 7 43
    JT 5 5 6 9 7 5 37

    4th leg total 121 v 124

    Grand total 462 v 444

    WIN by 18

  • Trip destination decided – it’s Torquay!

    After a massive price hike, Bournemouth’s been binned.

    The original plan has now had to be thrown away after the 1st choice hotel suddenly changed from being affordable to being over the top.

    In a close re-vote, the destination has now been changed to Torquay on the English Riviera.

  • Stats make for sad reading

    Rob languishes at the bottom of the averages

    With only Jim below him (and that only because he’s played just 2 games so far this season), Rob continues to chart new territory.  When will he start to turn this collapse un form around?

  • Bitzas & Pieces

    At last we get to play a home game.  Would we be able to cope, especially with 4 changes this week?

    Chasing once again, we didn’t get off to the best of starts, despite AU’s 40 and ended first leg trailing by 13 pins.  2nd leg put in a grest effort, with both Rich and Pete scoring maiden 40s to pull 7 pins back.

    3rd leg failed to continue this form and, with Stu getting our lowest score of the night, they actually dropped a further 24 pins to set the anchors a fearsome task.  Clive needed the help of our only spare to reach his 40, while AS just needed a day’s drinking to reach his.  Alas, the task was indeed far too much and we could only pull 3 pins back,  giving a final deficit of 27 to the current table toppers.

    We’re back on the road next week, as we travel to the RAOB on Wednesday. Rob’s managed to avoid the bench, as Rich continues his Damned tour in Norwich, but retains possession of Barry the Brasilian Beaver.

    9/11/09  v Beehive Bitzas @ Suffolk

    AU 9 9 6 8 5 3 40
    Jim 5 5 9 2 2 5 28
    Steve 8 4 3 7 6 3 31

    1st leg total 99 v  112

    Lewis 8 7 4 7 3 7 36
    Rich 7 8 6 5 8 6 40
    Pete 8 7 7 5 7 6 40

    2nd leg total 116 v 109

    Rob 8 2 8 3 7 7 35

    Mark

    		 4 7 6 7 6 7 37
    Stu 5 3 4 3 6 5 26

    3rd leg total 98 v 122

    Clive 7 6 12 7 4 5 41
    AS 7 7 6 7 8 8 43
    JT 4 6 5 7 8 5 35

    4th leg total 119 v 116

    Grand total 432 v 459

    WIN by -27

  • Golden Oldies

    Another away game – at the Gas Club this time, saw the Hustlers desperate to get back to winning ways and start to turn our form around.

    Chasing, it didn’t look like we were in for a happy night.  With even Lofty complaining about small balls  both sides failed to score 100 and we ended the leg 4 pins down, with Rob regaining possession of Barry the Brasilian Beaver.  Second leg faired only slightly better, losing a further 2 pins, with Salty just failing to notch up his first 40 of the season.

    Fuelled by Newky Brown, our skipper then put himself on 3rd leg.  This was clearly an inspired decision, as his top-scoring 49 was a massive contribution towards turning the game around and handing a 20-pin advantage over to the anchors.  A very tight game then ensued as the anchors fought to preserve that lead.  Gary’s bottom score was bolstered by JT’s 43 and we only dropped a single pin, winning the game on the penultimate hand, taking the game by 19 pins in the end.

    Neil and daddy Steve return for the next game (at home at last!!!!!!!!! – anyone remember the way to the Suffolk?) against new opponents Beehive Bitzas.  How does Rob manage to avoid the bench?  No game next week (‘cos we’re out of the cup ), but we’ll have a practice game and trip meeting.

    27/10/09  v Old Golds @ Gas Club

    AU 6 8 7 5 4 4 34
    Rob 8 7 6 0 6 4 31
    Lofty 5 4 5 7 2 5 28

    1st leg total 93 v 97

    TC 6 4 5 2 8 3 28
    Mark 6 6 5 8 6 7 38
    Lewis 7 3 6 5 6 7 34

    2nd leg total 100 v 102

    Clive 8 9 8 9 9 6 49

    Pete

    		 7 5 6 5 6 6 35
    Stu 6 7 8 3 2 5 31

    3rd leg total 115 v 89

    AS 8 6 5 8 5 7 39
    Gary 4 3 7 4 5 3 26
    JT 7 7 8 8 6 7 43

    4th leg total 108 v 109

    Grand total 416 v 397

    WIN by 19

  • Howzat?!!!

    Bowling first on a sticky wicket, Hustlers faced yet another away game and desperately needing a win.  With Neil on sick leave, Rob came off the bench to show us how he can really bowl.

    We began the 1st innings leg with a fine 41 from AU, ably supported by Lofty.  Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on Rich’s side and, as well as regaining control of Barry the Brasilian Beaver (twice!), he posted our lowest score for some time (much to Mark’s disgust).  So we headed into the 2nd leg 17 pins and fearing the worst (well we did have Mark playing).  And we did feel it could go bad after the first hand.  But then Steve started to find his groove, with TC and Nark playing good supporting roles.  By the end of the leg, we’d put in 2 spares and our highest score of the season to finish 12 pins up.

    A steady showing by Lewis and Stu helped us pull another 2 pins, despite Rob’s efforts to regain both possession of Barry from Rich and his position on the bench.  So it was down to the anchor leg to  preserve our lead.  JT did his best to get the game abandoned as he attempted a swan dive on his second ball (but it wasn’t enough to even get a score out of the style judges), but couldn’t help stop the lead from drifting away as the cricket club eventually sneaked the win by a mere 4 pins.

    We are away yet again next Tuesday at that old favourite, the Gas Club.  Rob & Rich will be warming the bench, while Steve could well be in the delivery room (Maternity Ward, rather than Royal Mail).

    19/10/09   v Cheltenham CC @ Cheltenham CC

    AU 7 5 9 8 7 5 41
    Rich 4 5 0 3 6 0 18
    Lofty 8 9 7 6 3 6 39

    1st leg total 98 v 115

    TC 4 4 4 7 11 6 36
    Mark 4 8 7 7 5 7 38
    Steve 3 7 9 8 14 8 49

    2nd leg total 123 v 94

    Rob 6 9 1 6 2 8 32

    Lewis

    		 7 8 5 5 6 6 37
    Stu 7 8 6 7 6 7 41

    3rd leg total 110 v 108

    AS 6 2 5 6 4 9 32
    Gary 6 8 7 2 7 4 34
    JT 7 2 6 4 8 6 33

    4th leg total 99 v 117

    Grand total 430 v 434

    WIN by -4